ACTIVITY KIT - HMH Bookshave each class vote to select one title from all the books reported on for the entire class to read. Each class then presents their book through skits, artwork,

www.hmhbooks.com/middlegrademania

BOOKS FOR READERS in grades 3-6 play such a crucial role in helping kids bridge from early chapter books to YA. It’s vital to nurture that love of reading through these critical years to help kids develop ever more sophisti-

cated language skills and to blossom into lifelong readers.

Use the materials in this kit to celebrate reading and encourage your reading maniacs

to stay crazy for books!

ACTIVITY KIT

MiddleGradeMania

Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Smackdown!In the spirit of WrestleMania, host a Reading Smackdown! Challenge another class to a reading contest. How many books can your students read and report on in a month versus the other class? When the month is over, have each class vote to select one title from all the books reported on for the entire class to read. Each class then presents their book through skits, artwork, videos, and the like to an impartial judge—perhaps the school principal or librarian. The judge, who has already read both books, selects the best presentation as the winner.

Word of MouthCreate a “This Reader Recommends” display on a bulletin board in your classroom or library. Whenever a student loves a book, have him/her fill out a recommendation card you can post in a public space to encourage other kids to give the book a try.

Jacket GalleryAs students finish books, have them create their own cover illustration depicting a particular character or scene. Be sure to have them include the title and the author’s name within the new cover design. Display the new book covers on a bulletin board or in a reading corner.

Book MobileHave students create a mobile for a favorite book. Use two pencils as the mobile framework—position them in an X, with one pencil on top of the other, and tape them in place. Wrap a string or piece of yarn from which to hang the mobile around the intersection of the two pencils, with a long length extending from the top. Create two-sided illustrations of characters and events and key elements from the story on card stock and hang them from the pencil frame. Be sure to include the book’s title and author on one hanging element. Display the mo-biles around the classroom or library.

Opening LinesBooks often begin with provocative, compelling openings to hook the reader from the very first page:

There is a right way to do things and a wrong way, if you’re going to run a hotel in a smugglers’ town. —Greenglass House

In the blink of an eye, Jonathan’s life changed forever. —Gabriel’s Clock

Dad has been gone exactly two months, one week, and four days when Mom stands up and says, “I can’t do this anymore.” —The Perfect Place

Encourage your students to keep a journal of first lines from books to inspire them in their own creative writing endeavors.

Character QuiltPass an 8.5-by-8.5-inch square piece of construction paper to each student. Have each child draw a portrait of a favorite book character on his/her square using crayons, markers, or paint. Be sure to include the character’s name and the book title on each square. Arrange the squares in a quilt pattern on a bulletin board or wall.

Activities MiddleGradeMania

MiddleGradeMania

MiddleGradeMania

This reader recommends . . . BOOK TITLE

AUTHOR

RECOMMENDED BY GRADE

Plot summary/characters:

What I liked about the book:

This reader recommends . . . BOOK TITLE

AUTHOR

RECOMMENDED BY GRADE

Plot summary/characters:

What I liked about the book:

Illustration © 2013 by M. Sarah Klise from Hollywood, Dead Ahead. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

Use this handy log sheet to keep track of the books you read. How many books can you read in a month? In a year? Challenge your friends!

Reading Log Title Author Date finished

Flower illustrations © 2013 by Cara Llewellyn; face illustration © 2013 by Matt Smith. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.MiddleGradeMania

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This page may be photocopied for free distribution.MiddleGradeMania

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Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Julie McLaughlin. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

Name: ________________________________________

The Question of MiraclesBY

ELANA K. ARNOLD978-0-544-33464-9 hardcover978-0-544-33255-3 eBook

Iris Abernathy hates life in Corvallis, Oregon, where her family just moved. It’s always raining and everything is so wet. Besides, nothing has felt right since her best friend, Sarah, died. Iris’s dad loves their new farmhouse and plans on raising chickens and planting an organic garden. He even builds a wind turbine on the property to produce energy. A pinwheel is a tiny wind turbine. Make your own using the template below and watch it spin!

Pinwheel

GradeMiddle

InstructionsUse your scissors to cut out the template on the solid lines. Then cut on the dotted lines from the four corners. Be sure to stop cutting when the lines end near the center of the square. Pull the dots at the four corners to the center of your square, aligning the first dot on top of the dot in the center, the second dot on top of the first, and so on until you have all the dots on top of each other. (Note: you can have the colored side of your pinwheel facing up or down when you pull in the four corners.) Carefully push the pushpin through all layers of the paper. Then push the pushpin into the eraser on your pencil just until it feels secure. Don't push it all the way in or your pinwheel won't spin. Blow and watch it go!

SUPPLIES NEEDED• Scissors

• A pencil with a full eraser

• A pushpin

Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (and Their Noses) Save the WorldBY

NANCY F. CASTALDO978-0-544-08893-1 hardcover

This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

Name: ________________________________________

Eco Dog Patch

GradeMiddle

A dog’s nose has hundreds of millions of sensory neurons just waiting to process that next scent. Their sense of smell is roughly 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than a human’s! Specially trained dogs can use their smart noses to help locate missing people or human remains, detect explosives or illegal drugs, and sniff out life-threatening changes in an owner’s blood sugar levels. There are even dogs trained as conservation detection dogs, or eco dogs, that help scientists locate everything from moose scat in the Adirondack Mountains to invasive snails in Hawaii, tigers in Cambodia, and cheetahs in Kenya. All working dogs wear a badge or patch to let others know they’re on the job. Look at the two patches below and design your own patch for an eco dog.

E

Ao


Name: ________________________________________

Word Search

GradeMiddle

From bank robbery to gambling, domestic violence to civil rights—our country’s laws change as our culture and values change over time. Guilty? offers a fascinating look at how justice in America has evolved, and challenges readers to ponder some difficult questions about how our criminal justice system works—and how it might be improved. Find the legal terms listed in the lower right corner hidden in the letters below. Words can appear backward, forward, and diagonally.

Guilty?: Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face of JusticeBY

TERI KANEFIELD978-0-544-14896-3 hardcover

L C B S O K F G R X H T L E Y O Z X M B A O A Y V X A A M S N J P L N X S G A X I V I G R P D L M A D N R P M E M L U E H T S E F N S C E A P W Z C S K T V C I S C N Q T G T F F M D Q K O B E K O T T N V K U E T W O W O R L S H E C Q W A M A A T Q C A H I E R N A Y R Z T K O M W Z I D I P L U C R W U U L Q C P Y L I P W V E T F Y N D W Z X Q R O W M O H D Q R L P P K E A O Q F A H Y H Z X S J T A I B P Z B E L D N U N U D J A Z Q M Z M F T Q U K V Z B Z X M R J C O N R D Z S Q T Y M R X A U C F E Y D A F E P K R Y T I J Y Z S P G F X N K P E Q Y E Z G Y D H U T Z S I S E X K W T Y L T L W S X V X P Q A I L Y U E L Q F H T J X O M C F G U O D I T H E Z T M A G K T E X T M V B Y E R R O Y R S T C A S S A U L T H L A N Y I E T C I D N I K P L Z X Z Y S T Z D V O N E I A R U N O J R V R T M U W I Y F I E T H N N M V M N R A E T A O F I P B M J H U V S D E Y W E W H R X J G Q N J Z J T O D D E S N E F E D F L E S Z O G R Z X J E G Y Z L O D H D V N Q O E T Q F P G H Y Q U A U C N O D D D P P L S U T J T F Y O H J R U L T E O P C B M H V U U E Z C T E T F W K D D A O I Y U X M E J O P V N S L T T S O Q A J P D A E Y T I F G B E R J Q W F T L W P Y G O B W V J B Z N H O U H V S K R E M Y L U A P F U M Y C L T T B V B R Z Z W P L D E X K

Legal Terms:APPEALASSAULTCAPITAL PUNISHMENTDUE PROCESSFELONYINDICTLARCENYMISDEMEANORPREMEDITATEDPROSECUTORSELF-DEFENSESETTLEMENT

Bonus Question: What does “recidivism” mean?

_________________________________________________________________

Answer key follows, or can be found at hmhbooks.com/middlegrademania/resources.html.

Gabriel’s ClockBY

HILTON PASHLEY978-0-544-30176-4 hardcover

Illustrations copyright © 2014 by August Hall. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

Name: ________________________________________

Map Maker

GradeMiddle

There’s something special about the village of Hobbes End. On the surface, it looks like any other English village, with thatched-roof cottages surrounding a village green, a large pond, and deep woods. Young Cay tells Jonathan, “The village calls out to people who need help, who need somewhere to be safe.” Evil creatures attacked Jonathan and his parents, so Hobbes End is just the place he needs to recover. In the space below, draw a map of how you imagine Hobbes End to appear. Be sure to include the following on your map: St. Michael’s Church, the vicarage, the churchyard/graveyard, Gabriel’s cottage, the village green, the village shop, the pond, the woods.

The Perfect PlaceBY

TERESA E. HARRIS978-0-547-25519-4 hardcover978-0-544-37427-0 eBook


Name: ________________________________________

Character Crossword

GradeMiddle

Dad has been gone for two months and Mom’s at her wit’s end. She loads the girls into the car in the middle of the night and heads to her aunt’s house, planning to leave them there while she goes in search of Dad. The Perfect Place is a story of hope in the face of despair and of learning that first impressions can often be misleading. It’s also a story with colorful character names! Solve the crossword puzzle below to reveal them.


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A Plague of BoglesBY

CATHERINE JINKS978-0-544-08747-7 hardcover978-0-544-08735-4 eBook

Illustration copyright © 2014 by Sarah Watts. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

Name: ________________________________________

Victorian Vocab

GradeMiddle

Jem always liked the idea of being a bogler’s apprentice like his friend Birdie, but bogle-hunter Alfred Bunce has given up his dangerous trade. Yet when more and more children disappear from Victorian London, Mr. Bunce must help once again, with Jem as his bogler’s boy. Jem can’t wait to step into the salt circle and lure the child-eating monsters out of their dank holes, but the job isn’t easy—for the city seems to have been taken over by a vast plague of bogles! Take the Victorian slang quiz below and see if you’re ready to be a bogle hunter with Jem and Birdie.

Check your score!8–10 correct answers: You’re ready to be a bogler’s apprentice!5–7 correct answers: Good job! You’ve not been on the wag!0–4 correct answers: Time to study the glossary in A Plague of Bogles!


1. A “lurk” is a. someone who follows people b. a trick or a scam c. a type of stew

2. A “sneckdraw” is a. a sly, crafty person b. a card player c. an artist

3. A “bluffer” is a. a liar b. a thief c. an innkeeper

4. If you say someone is “downy,” you mean he or she is a. soft and sweet b. sad c. cunning or clever

5. A “mudlark” is a. a type of bird b. a child who scavenges on riverbanks c. a boat

6. A “kinchin crack” is a. a bar maid b. a stick or bat c. a fine girl

7. A “nobbler” is a. someone who eavesdrops b. a thug c. a wealthy person

8. A “sneezer” is a. someone with allergies b. an old person c. a drink

9. If you “dun” someone, you a. demand he or she pay you b. hit him or her over the head c. pick his or her pocket

10. If someone is “humming” you, he or she is a. deceiving you b. singing to you c. yelling at you


Name: ________________________________________

Where I BelongBY

MARY DOWNING HAHN978-0-544-23020-0 hardcover978-0-544-37428-7 eBook

Brendan is smart and a talented artist, yet his teachers and classmates mock him, his foster mother is cold and critical, and he has become a target for bullies. In a book of British myths, Brendan reads about the Green Man, a sort of eco-superhero who protects the forest and all who dwell there. The Green Man is just and powerful. Brendan draws the Green Man on the back of his math sheet: “My Green Man is treetop tall. He carries a sword. His beard is long and thick, his mustache curls, and his face is framed with oak leaves. His wavy hair falls to his shoulders.” Brendan needs to believe in the Green Man. Draw your vision of the Green Man below.

The Green Man

GradeMiddle


Name: ________________________________________

The Twin PowersBY

ROBERT LIPSYTE978-0-547-97335-7 hardcover978-0-547-97452-1 eBook

Twins Tom and Eddie are “halfies”—half alien, half human. It’s 1958 on Eddie’s home planet, EarthOne, and 2012 in Tom’s world on EarthTwo. But the very existence of both home planets is at stake if the Primary People can’t be convinced to put off their destruction. Can Tom and Eddie learn to use their special twin powers in time? Unscramble the letters below to reveal key words and phrases from The Twin Powers. Then take the letters that appear in the circles and unscramble them to answer the bonus question.

Word Scramble

GradeMiddle


HFLASIE

SEADRRI LURE

TEHC FOF DYA

ODEVCRE GWOAN

VETROIRAB

COPHAEMEL

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Bonus:What famous American author is referred to throughout The Twin Powers?

★

★

★★

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★★

★

Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Jaime Zollars. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

Name: ________________________________________

Anastasia Krupnik978-0-544-33668-1 paperback978-0-547-34562-8 eBook

Anastasia Again!978-0-544-33667-4 paperback978-0-547-34564-2 eBook

BY

LOIS LOWRY

Anastasia Krupnik loves making lists in her special green notebook. Like Anastasia, make a list below of the things you love and the things you hate. Revisit your list in a month. Did any items from the “hate” column move to the “love” column, or vice versa? Do you have new items to add to each list?

Make a List

GradeMiddle


Name: ________________________________________

Greenglass HouseBY

KATE MILFORD978-0-544-05270-3 hardcover978-0-544-05555-1 eBook

Greenglass House, a smuggler’s inn high atop a hill overlooking the harbor, is home to Milo and his adoptive innkeeper parents. Normally it’s quiet during the winter holidays, but this year the inn is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the old house. Milo and the cook’s daughter, Meddy, play a role-playing game to solve the mystery of an old nautical chart and investigate the unusual guests who’ve descended on the inn. Milo becomes Negret in the game, an escaladeur, or reconnaissance expert, who’s adept at sneaking around and finding clues. Every good escaladeur needs a place to hide the clues he or she finds during a campaign. Follow the instructions below and on the next page to create your own Greenglass House clue box.

InstructionsCut out the box top on the solid exterior lines. Flip the box top over so that the white side of the paper is facing you. Fold the green and blue sides up toward you along the black lines. Fold in the tabs at the dotted lines. Use small pieces of tape to adhere the tabs to the backs of the sides adjacent to them. Your box top is now finished! See next page for box bottom.

Clue Box

GradeMiddle

Illustrations © 2014 by Jaime Zollars

Box Top


Name: ________________________________________ GradeMiddle

Box BottomInstructions

Cut out the box bottom on the solid exterior lines. Flip the box bottom over so that the white side of the paper is facing you. Fold the box sides up toward you along the black lines. Fold in the tabs at the dotted lines. Use pieces of tape to adhere the tabs to the backs of the box sides adjacent to them. Your box bottom is now finished! What clues will you store inside it?

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Answer Key

MiddleGradeMania

Guilty? Word Search

A Plague of Bogles Victorian Vocab 1. b 2. a 3. c 4. c 5. b 6. c 7. b 8. c 9. a 10. a

The Perfect Place Character Crossword

The Twin Powers Word Scramble

L C B S O K F G R X H T L E Y O Z X M B A O A Y V X A A M S N J P L N X S G A X I V I G R P D L M A D N R P M E M L U E H T S E F N S C E A P W Z C S K T V C I S C N Q T G T F F M D Q K O B E K O T T N V K U E T W O W O R L S H E C Q W A M A A T Q C A H I E R N A Y R Z T K O M W Z I D I P L U C R W U U L Q C P Y L I P W V E T F Y N D W Z X Q R O W M O H D Q R L P P K E A O Q F A H Y H Z X S J T A I B P Z B E L D N U N U D J A Z Q M Z M F T Q U K V Z B Z X M R J C O N R D Z S Q T Y M R X A U C F E Y D A F E P K R Y T I J Y Z S P G F X N K P E Q Y E Z G Y D H U T Z S I S E X K W T Y L T L W S X V X P Q A I L Y U E L Q F H T J X O M C F G U O D I T H E Z T M A G K T E X T M V B Y E R R O Y R S T C A S S A U L T H L A N Y I E T C I D N I K P L Z X Z Y S T Z D V O N E I A R U N O J R V R T M U W I Y F I E T H N N M V M N R A E T A O F I P B M J H U V S D E Y W E W H R X J G Q N J Z J T O D D E S N E F E D F L E S Z O G R Z X J E G Y Z L O D H D V N Q O E T Q F P G H Y Q U A U C N O D D D P P L S U T J T F Y O H J R U L T E O P C B M H V U U E Z C T E T F W K D D A O I Y U X M E J O P V N S L T T S O Q A J P D A E Y T I F G B E R J Q W F T L W P Y G O B W V J B Z N H O U H V S K R E M Y L U A P F U M Y C L T T B V B R Z Z W P L D E X K

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Documents

ACTIVITY KIT - HMH Bookshave each class vote to select one title from all the books reported on for the entire class to read. Each class then presents their book through skits, artwork,